Hagging with Virgin Media and disconnection rules

HergestPhil

My Virgin Media Broadband+TV contract finishes 6 December.  I tried to haggle a new deal.  I have been offered a slightly better broadband speed and price is a little better.  I'm debating whether to take the offer though.  I asked to start my 30 day disconnection period, and said I would think about the offer.

The Retentions operator told me I don't need to start the disconnection, I can disconnect on 6 December if I don't take the offer.  He said he would call me back in a few days to see if I want to accept the offer.

I don't think this is right - come 6 December, if I try to cancel, I think I will be on a rolling 30 day contract, so they will charge me a penalty or say I can't disconnect for 30 days?

I'm thinking of calling to go through to disconnections/retentions team again to request cancellation, but wondered how the process works - I can still cancel the disconnection within that 30 day period?  I'd hope they would call back to offer a better deal when I've decided to cancel, otherwise I could phone up near the end of this period to change my mind and accept the deal I've already been given?

FreeBear

HergestPhil said: I don't think this is right - come 6 December, if I try to cancel, I think I will be on a rolling 30 day contract, so they will charge me a penalty or say I can't disconnect for 30 days?

Yes. If you wait until 6th December to cancel, you'll be charged for another month. If you cancel today, you should only be charged for part of the month (12 days ?) at full price due to the 30 days notice requirement in your contract.

HergestPhil

FreeBear said:

HergestPhil said: I don't think this is right - come 6 December, if I try to cancel, I think I will be on a rolling 30 day contract, so they will charge me a penalty or say I can't disconnect for 30 days?

Yes. If you wait until 6th December to cancel, you'll be charged for another month. If you cancel today, you should only be charged for part of the month (12 days ?) at full price due to the 30 days notice requirement in your contract.

Thanks, that's what I thought, so the retentions guy was lying.

Blackjack_Davy

Basically if want a better deal retentions won't do it you have to actually give notice to cancel the line then they'll be back in contact with a bettter deal in a couple of days you have to go to these kind of extremes with virgin they really take it to the wire

leew

Blackjack_Davy said:

Basically if want a better deal retentions won't do it you have to actually give notice to cancel the line then they'll be back in contact with a bettter deal in a couple of days you have to go to these kind of extremes with virgin they really take it to the wire

Yep this is correct. I cancelled mine yesterday via WhatsApp! (never did that this way before!!) I've had two missed calls today's from retentions I think (020 3743 6946)

You do have to go through the mill with these, always been like this and I've been with them for 10yrs+!!

warmy

I cancelled over week ago not had a call from retentions this time so may have to look elsewhere 

PixelPound

warmy said:

I cancelled over week ago not had a call from retentions this time so may have to look elsewhere 

Probably busy over BF. What cancellation reason did you give.

oliver1951

Attempted to cancel, by giving 60 days notice, not accepted. Apparently must be exactly 30 days. Virgin don’t seem to understand how very annoyed people are and how it will affect them long term. In some places though virgin seems to have a monopoly, as the only provider who can supply a decent speed. Fortunately Lila connect have now come live in my area ( cables were laid 2 years ago) so I’ve moved to them. Just need to get the cancellation done. Anyone else tried to give longer notice and been rebuffed?

FreeBear

oliver1951 said: Attempted to cancel, by giving 60 days notice, not accepted. Apparently must be exactly 30 days.

. Anyone else tried to give longer notice and been rebuffed?

Contract only states that a minimum of 30 days notice required to cancel. Their system apparently can not deal with cancellations beyond 60 days. I tried cancelling some 70-80 days in advance. Got told "no" via their online chat system, so sent a stiffly worded email to their complaints department (the only working email address I have for them).

Told them that the shortcomings of their system was not my problem. As far as I was concerned, I had given sufficient notice as set out in the contract and was quite prepared to cancel the DD and move to another provider once the notice period had expired.

oliver1951

I called yesterday, the 30 days prior to end of contract initial procedure, it took me 3 agents and 45 minutes ( excluding the 30 minutes wait time, so an hour and a quarter total) to effect, as they put it, “my disconnection”. They will not issue a revised invoice. Instead they will take the money for the current bill and then mid January issue another bill, which they tell me will be my credit. Moreover they will be sending me a package to return the router in. If I do not return the router the contract will not be cancelled and I will be liable for further charges. If the router is returned the contract will be cancelled after 90 days. I wasn’t entirely clear where they were running the 90 days from. Virgin is a poorly administered anti customer company. Hopefully, they’ll reimburse me what I owe and I’ll never hear from them again! If that doesn’t happen, I’ll update here.